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Schools

Notes from the Field: Country School Students Learn Off Campus

Students across all grades (Pre-K through Grade 9) participated in hands-on learning experiences, capping off their classroom studies.

New Canaan Country School students in Pre-K through grade 9 have been taking their learning off campus this spring. Students in the Beginners Pre-K program took a trip to Millstone Farm as part of their life cycle study. They learned about life on the farm and collected eggs to bring to their classrooms and observe. Once hatched, they returned the chicks to the farm. Fourth graders engaged in citizen science, observing and documenting salmon fry for months before taking a trip last week to release them into the Salmon River in East Hamden, CT, helping to repopulate the Atlantic salmon while learning firsthand about conservation efforts.

First graders visited the local police station as part of their study of self and community, while seventh graders spent two days in Washington D.C. concluding a year of American history. Third graders visited Ellis Island to complete their immigration study, while eighth graders took a trip to New York City as part of their study of world religions, stopping at The Met’s Asian and Islamic art collections and the Islamic Cultural Center of New York.

Fifth graders visited the Met Cloisters as part of their Medieval studies and the sixth grade visited the Met’s Renaissance collection, both trips bringing history and art to life. Finally, during “Trips week” ninth graders had the choice of visiting the Florida Keys as part of their Marine Biology Expanded Studies class; the Deep South from New Orleans to Alabama as part of their Civil Rights Expanded Studies class; or the Pacific Northwest to study ecology.

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“We are truly fortunate to have access, both in proximity and in our resources, to incredible field trip opportunities which bring learning to life for students,” said Head of School Aaron Cooper. “The real gift for our students comes in the way teachers artfully use these experiences to connect with the curriculum.”

New Canaan Country School is a co-ed, independent day school for students n Pre-K (ages 3 & 4) through Grade 9. Located on a 75-acre campus in New Canaan, the school serves families from throughout the region. For more, please visit www.countryschool.net.

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